This article presents the Multicultural Counseling Inventory (MCI), a self-report instrument that measures multicultural counseling competencies. Study 1 comprised 604 psychology students, psychologists, and counselors in a midwestern state. In Study 2, respondents were a national random sample of 320 university counselors. Instrument analysis included exploratory principalaxis factor analysis with oblique rotation, assessment of factor congruence between the factor structures of the 2 samples, LISREL confirmatory factor analysis to test the relative goodness of fit of 6 competing factor models of the MCI, and tests of internal consistency reliabilities. Results indicated that the MCI has 4 factors: Multicultural Counseling Skills, Multicultural Awareness, Multicultural Counseling Relationship, and Multicultural Counseling Knowledge. A higher order, more general multicultural counseling factor is also discussed.
We take a look back to 1995 when Conoley and Gutkin shared their vision for an adult-focused practice of school psychology with a primary focus on developing health-promoting systems for schoolage children. We then look to the present to what has happened and not happened to substantiate their vision. We found very encouraging developments and continuing challenges in the research targets and practice roles of school psychologists. There is no shortage of evidence-based strategies to improve the school experience of all children. The opportunities offered by, for example, the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support paradigm are promising, but it is unclear whether school psychologists are assuming leadership roles in this work. Furthermore, incorporating postdoctoral specialties is a promising role expansion for school psychologists, but most of the specialties keep the psychologists’ focus on individual child assessment and treatment. School psychology is a very large professional tent with room for many approaches to preventing childhood disorders and promoting behavioral and academic success. Graduate education and current practice seem to reflect the traditional test and place roles for psychologists that Conoley and Gutkin hoped to expand beyond 25 years ago. Research efforts and national organization supports are hopeful, however, for a reimagined practice of psychology that makes use of the powerful ecosystems that affect children’s well-being. Much work is yet to be done.
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